Street or station indicator



A. DAWER. STREET OR STATION INDICATOR- APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2. 1920.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

u n MW IHIMWWHW WITNESS:

ANTONIO DAWER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STREET OR STATION INDICATOR.

Application filed March 2, 1920.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANTONIO DAWER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Street or Station Indicators, of which the following is a specification. 7

The invention relates to indicators and more particularly to devices for indicating streets or stations traversed by vehicles and has for an object to provide an indicator which cooperating with the vehicle in its travel over the highway will indicate the next stop, station or street.

The invention comprehends among other features an indicator which maybe conveniently arranged at one end of a street car or other similar vehicle and which by reason of certain mechanism employed, associated with the trackway will cause an indicator to indicate the next street, station or stop so that the occupants of the vehicle will be notified in advance of thename of the particular street or station at which the next stop may be made.

I am aware that various street and station indicators have been employed heretofore, but Iaim-in my invention to provide a device of verysimple construction; which can be readily removed from one car and placed in another; which will "effectively operate and can be adjusted at all times and which furthermore has its operation depending upon a rise or elevation in the trackway, thus giving absolute assurance that the device will be actuated at the proper time.

In the further disclosure of the invention, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, constituting a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference, denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which,-- I g Figure l-is a fragmentary elevation of a track, and a street car showing my device applied thereto.

Fig. 2is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the track at the point of formation of the hump or rise.

Fig. 3is a fragmentary front elevation of the indicator, part'sbeing broken away to disclose the underlying structure.

Fig. 4.is a side elevation.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

Serial No. 362,809.

Fig. 5-is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 6is a vertical transverse sectional View taken on the line 6-6 in Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the views, the numeral 10 indicates a track and 11, a car such as a street car and'the like, the track 10 being of the usual construction providing a groove 12 for the accommodation of the flange 13 of the usual car wheel 14: with the periphery 15 of the car wheel operating over the flat portion 16 of the track. T he lip 17 of the track at certain intervals, namely just prior to reaching a certain street or station, is formed with a hump or elevated portion 18 inthe nature of a rise, this rise being formed on the lip so as not to have any interference with'the usual car wheels 14: of the vehicle. The cross shaft 19 is journaled on the truck 20 of the vehicle or car and carries a fiat wheel 21 which operates over the lip 1'7 and in spaced relation thereto, except where. the rise 18 is encountered, the periphery of the wheel 21 engaging with the surface of the hump or rise 18 will bring about rotation of the wheel during such contact. The inner end of the shaft carries a disk 22 which is keyed to the shaft with the lower end of a connecting or (Tank rod 23 pivoted to the" disk, so that upon rotation of the shaft a reciprocating motion will be imparted to the rod 23.

The indicator comprises a box 24 having a suitable front forming a closure as at 25 with a cross opening 26 in the closure and journaled within the boX are upper and lower spindles 27, 28, respectively, the inner ends of which are provided for the accommodation of rollers 29,. 30, one of which is termed the upper roller and the other the lower roller. In opposed relation to the spindles 27, 23, are stationary spindles 31, 82, the ends 33, 3a, of which slide in the stationary parts. of the spindles 31, 32, and are preferably spring engaged so that when the rollers 29, 30, are arranged in position on the box, the roller 29 will be supported by the spindles 27, 31 and the roller 30, by the spindles 28, 32, it being further understood that the ends of the spindles 27, 28, are squared to fit squared openings 35 in the ends of the rollers so that the rollers will turn with the spindles. The spindles 27, 28, carry ratchet wheels 36, 37, respectively, one

termed a pitman.

for the upper spindle and one for the lower spindle and the extremities of the spindles 27, 28, project'beyond the sides or the box and are provided with suitable handles 38,

' 39, so that the spindles can be manually rotated. A reciprocating arm or rod 40 is disposed vertically in the box, being pivoted; at its center 41 and at substantially this bringing about rotation of the wheel, that the reciprocation of the pitman will, in turn,

impart a rocking movement to the rocking arm or rod 40. Pivoted in bifurcated portions 43 .on the upper end of the rocking arm isa pawl 44 and similarly pivoted on bifurcated portions 45 on the lower portion of the rocking arm 40, is a pawl 46, the pawl 44 being provided for the ratchet wheel 36 and the pawl 46, for the ratchet wheel 37. A' flat spring 47 is secured to the upper end of the rocking arm and similarly a spring of like nature indicated by like numeral, is secured to the lower end of the arm, each of the pawls 44,46, having flattened portions 48 against which the springs hear, so that the'pawls can be arranged in operative or non-operative positions, as will be readily understood by reference to the views. Each pawl furthermore, has a projecting handle 48 which extends through a slot 49 from o the side ofthe box so'that these pawls can be manually moved into operative or nonoperative position.

Now it will be understood that initially, one of the rollers 29, 30 carries a roll 50 which'may be made of any suitable cloth or other material and on which, the names of the stations or streets are indicated and that this roll at each end is provided with an eye 51 for engagement with a hook 52 one of which is provided and sunk into each roller. It will bealsoi understood that one of these rollers carries the roll in its entirety. I A roller provided with a roll for a particular Street car operatingover a particular route, is now placed in the box and the roll unrolled to extend around the other roller in the box and be hitched thereto by the eye 1 operating wheel 21', comes in contact with one of the humps in the track-way, rotation will be imparted to said wheel, thus actuating the mechanism heretofore described to bring about a rocking action of the rocking arm 40, thus causing the particular pawl in engagement with the particular ratchet wheel, to actuate said ratchet wheel upon the movement of the rocking arm in one direction and slide over the teeth of that ratchet wheel upon movement of the rocking arm in the opposite direction and thus it will be apparent that each time the arm '40 is rocked, the roll will be unwound from one of the rollers and wound on to the other, bringing into view through the opening 26, the name oif'the next street or station preceded by the particular hump in the trackway which'actuated the rocking arm.

With this construction it will be apparent that when a street car commencesat one end of its route and passes over the same, the station or street steps will be indicated from one block or squareto the other and then when the street car reaches the end or" its route,-gthe roll.wi ll l1ave been substantially unwound from one of the rollers on to the other roller and-now ifthe street car versing the movement of the roll to rewind it back to its original roller and thus indicate the streets, or station stops on the return passage from the same route." c

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the device described consists of few and simple parts; that the operation thereof is insured'by reason of the bumps formed in the track-way and'that with a device of this character, when'it. has once been set for operation, the streets and station stops will be indicated to the passengers and the attention of the conductor or motorman operating the street car, can be given to the assen 'ers and the work at hand. without necessitating his constant attention to the indicator. 7 r

As shown each of the handles 48 for the pawls 44,]46, may have attached thereto,'a rod 53,- the inner ends of which rods are eccentrically, connected to a rotatable disk 54 mounted to turn on the side of the box andoperated by a suitable handle 55, which handle when actuated to impart a rotary movement to the disk, will'through themedium of the rods 53,-move one of the pawls 44,46, into engagement with its particular ratchet wheel and simultaneously move the other pawl out'of engagement with its particular ratchet wheel. 1

Having described my invention, I claim' In a street or station indicator for-carsor similar vehicles whichtr'avel on tracks, and in which the'track isprovided with projections designed to be engaged by a wheel to impart a rotary motion thereto and to operate a pitman thereby, comprising a casing having spindles carrying rollers on which a curtain is wound, and said curtain designed to be unwound from one of the rollers on to the other roller, spring influenced bearings for the spindles, a ratchet wheel associated with one of each pair of said bearings, means whereby said ratchet wheels may be turned manually from the eX- terior of the casing, a rocker arm pivotally secured in the casing and having an angle arm projecting through the casing and connected to the referred to pitman, said rocker arm having its arms bifurcated, dogs pivoted therein and arranged over the respective ratchet wheels, spring means carried by the rocker arm and contacting with the outer ends ofthe dogs, rods connected to the respective dogs, a .disk to which the confronting ends of the rods are connected, and an operating head for the disk arranged exteriorly of the casing.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ANTONIO DAWER. 

